Trust gets top marks from patients

Patients and members of the public have awarded Weston Area Health NHS Trust some of the highest scores in the country for quality of food, cleanliness and privacy.

Eight representatives of Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), including members from the local Healthwatch and the Trust’s Patients’ Council, inspected the Trust against a range of non-clinical activities that impact on the patient experience of care.

The Trust scored highly for cleanliness (98%), food (92%), privacy, dignity and wellbeing (89%), condition, appearance and maintenance (94%) and dementia services (81%).

The Trust also exceeded the national scores in the majority of the areas assessed, in some cases scoring significantly higher than the national average.

The national averages were 97% (cleanliness), 88% (food), 86% (privacy, dignity and wellbeing), 90% (condition, appearance and maintenance) and 74% (dementia).

 PLACE was introduced in 2013, as a new system for assessing the quality of the patient environment.

The yearly assessments apply to hospitals, hospices and day treatment centres across the country, and sees local people assess patient’s privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general building maintenance. Assessors come prepared with a number of questions which relate to a patient’s experience in hospital, such as whether emergency exits are clearly identified, if there are vegetarian options for meals, and how often windows are cleaned in the hospital. 

Nathan Meager, Chairman for the Patients' Council, said: “The Patients' Council would like to thank staff for their hard work and particular efforts regarding the standard of cleanliness and catering.

“The housekeeping team go above and beyond what is expected and this recognises their work. We look forward to seeing these continued high standards being maintained, which particularly benefit the patients at the hospital.”

James Rimmer, Chief Executive of Weston Area Health NHS Trust, said: “We’re delighted with these results. Healthy and tasty food, a clean environment and being treated with dignity are as important to patients in hospital as their clinical care is so it’s great to see the Trust scoring highly.

“Across each of the categories the Trust rated higher, and in some cases significantly higher, than the national average.

“That’s a terrific endorsement for the Trust and a testament to our staff who work around the clock to make sure patients have a positive experience when they come to Weston General. Our patients expect high quality care in all aspects of their hospital treatment and we work hard to deliver that.” 

Trust staff have recently won a series of national awards and recognition for their work which impact upon the patient experience of care. Last month, for example, the housekeeping team won a national award at a ceremony for cleaning professionals, for delivering clean and maintained environments for patients.  

The X-Ray team have just been awarded national recognition through the ISAS Standard (Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme), for delivering high quality imaging services to patients, in a safe environment. 

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Mark Hook, Communications Officer, on 01934 647182 or email mark.hook@nhs.net.

Rebecca Rafiyah Findlay, Head of Communications, on 01934 647091 or email rebecca.findlay@nhs.net.